Santa Ana Municipal Code § 8-3603 Reapplication after denial or revocation

It is unlawful for any person to operate, or to permit any person to operate a group home with seven (7) or more occupants on any property located in the city without a valid permit issued for that group home pursuant to the provision of this article.

(a) Each group home operator shall obtain an Operator's Permit specific to the operator.

(b) A copy of the Operator's Permit shall be kept at the group home at all times and be made available to any City official upon request.

(c) An Operator's Permit is valid for one (1) year from the date of issuance, unless sooner revoked. No permit granted herein shall confer any vested right to any person or business.

(d) The Planning and Building Agency Executive Director or designee will develop and adopt a standardized Operator's Permit application. Each Operator's Permit application must be submitted using the City's application, accompanied by the appropriate filing fee. The applicant shall be responsible for paying any fees that have been established from time to time by the City Council to process the Operator's Permit at the time of submission of the application.

(e) The Operator's Permit shall be issued by the Planning and Building Agency Executive Director or designee if the applicant is in compliance with or has agreed to comply with the requirements of Section 41-2402(b) of Chapter 41.

(f) In addition to denying an application for failing to comply or failing to agree to comply with the requirements of Section 41-2402(b) of Chapter 41, an Operator's Permit shall also be denied, and if already issued shall be revoked upon a hearing by the Planning and Building Agency Executive Director or designee under any of the following circumstances:

(1) Any owner/operator has provided materially false or misleading information on the application or omitted any pertinent information.

(2) Any owner/operator or staff person has an employment history in which he or she was terminated during the past two (2) years because of physical assault, sexual harassment, embezzlement or theft; falsifying a drug test; and selling or furnishing illegal drugs or alcohol.

(3) Any owner/operator or staff person has been convicted of or pleaded nolo contendere, within the last seven (7) to ten (10) years, to any of the following offenses:

i. Any sex offense for which the person is required to register as a sex offender under California Penal Code Section 290 (last ten (10) years);

ii. Arson offenses—Violations of Penal Code Sections 451—455 (last seven (7) years);

iii. Violent felonies, as defined in Penal Code Section 667.5, which involve doing bodily harm to another person (last ten (10) years); or

iv. The unlawful sale or furnishing of any controlled substances (last seven (7) years).

(4) Any owner/operator or staff person is on parole or formal probation supervision on the date of the submittal of the application or at any time thereafter.

(5) The owner/operator accepts residents, other than a house manager, who are not disabled as defined by the Fair Housing Amendments Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act.

(6) An Operator's Permit for a sober-living home shall also be denied, and if already issued shall be revoked upon a hearing by the director, under any of the following additional circumstances:

i. The owner/operator of a sober-living home fails to immediately take measures to remove any resident who uses alcohol or illegally uses prescription or non-prescription drugs, or who is not actively participating in a legitimate recovery program from contact with all other sober residents.

ii. For any other significant and/or repeated violations of this section and/or any other applicable laws and/or regulations.

(Ord. No. NS-3084, § 28, 9-16-25)

Upon a hearing by the Executive Director of the Planning and Building Agency or designee, following written notice by certified mail at the last known mailing address or by such other method reasonably calculated to give notice to the operator, the Executive Director of the Planning and Building Agency or designee shall have the authority and duty to suspend or revoke any Operator's Permit granted or issued under the provisions of this chapter at any time based on Section 8-3600.

(Ord. No. NS-3084, § 28, 9-16-25)

(a) An Operator's Permit shall not be valid for a location other than the property for which it is issued, unless and until the transfer of the permit is approved by the Planning and Building Agency Executive Director or designee pursuant to the requirements of Section 8-3600(e).

(b) An Operator's Permit may not be transferred to any other person or entity. No Operator's Permit issued pursuant to this article shall be transferred or assigned or authorize any person or entity other than the person or entity named in the permit to operate the group home named therein.

(Ord. No. NS-3084, § 28, 9-16-25)

(a) An applicant for an Operator's Permit whose application for such an Operator's Permit has been denied may not reapply for such an Operator's Permit for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days from the date such notice of denial was issued.

(b) A holder of an Operator's Permit that has been cancelled, revoked or otherwise invalidated may not reapply for an Operator's Permit for a period of one hundred eighty (180) days from the date that such revocation, cancellation or invalidation became final.

(Ord. No. NS-3084, § 28, 9-16-25)

A group home that is subject to the provisions of this article that is in existence as of the effective date of this ordinance shall have one hundred twenty (120) days to comply with the provisions of this article.

(Ord. No. NS-3084, § 28, 9-16-25)